Lack of Order
by Arukan
Summary: Sequel to Lack of Confidence. With all the males out of the village, and a new, sinister enemy emerging, what will Ino, Sakura, and Hinata do to combat this menace? !Diaper and Infantilism Content!


**Lack of Order **

(Lack of Confidence Sequel)

By Arukan

**Chapter 1: Tea Time**

It had only been a couple of weeks since the summer festival that all the men of Konoha had been called away to missions. This left most of the kunoichis of the without much of anything to do. Needless to say, it was shaping up to be a boring couple of days.

Hinata rolled over in bed, it was still early, and she didn't have any missions to ten to so she rolled once more into a more comfortable position and fell back to sleep. On the other side of town in the Haruno residence, a light went on in the upstairs room of Sakura. A shadow from behind the curtain was sitting up in bed, huffing and puffing excitedly.

Sakura's entire body was tense; a cold sweat trickled down her forehead and she looked around as if someone was in her room. She looked at her hands for a moment and cupped them over her eyes. The dream she had just awoken from was horrible, unlike anything she had ever experienced, unlike anything she had ever wanted to see. Sakura was almost in tears as she relived the nightmare in her mind.

Running down a darkened alley in the middle of the village, she saw a shadow fly into the distance and she gave chase. She ran through the streets, jumped from rooftop to rooftop and finally at the main entrance to the office of the Hokage she cornered the stealthy shadow. This was when the dream worsened. Around her Sakura saw bodies, those of her friends, or her comrades, of almost ever ninja she knew in the village. Sakura readied a kunai and looked upon the figure still cloaked in shadows. In the pale moonlight, a bright flash illuminated the headband of the enemy ninja. It had a quarter note upon it, the sign of the Sound Village, and the mortal enemies of Konoha.

She tightened her grip upon the blade as the enemy cackled in udder torturous waves of laughter. Sakura's eyes clenched closed as the sound literally threatened to blast her eardrums. When she opened them, the enemy stood not even four feet in front of her. It lifted its hand and sent a smashing force straight through Sakura. She felt her life drain away and that's when she remembered awaking.

"Such a horrible nightmare," Sakura breathed finally coming to grips with the room around her. She put her hand in her lap and for a moment felt a soft vibration against them. Sakura blushed, and then smiled oddly at herself. "Not again," her voice wasn't agitated as much as sardonic and she looked at the wet spot covering her bed. Ever since she had begun having these nightmares, she would awake with a sodden mattress. She thought it might be a good idea to go back to her old regimen but decided the dreams would wear off soon and it would just be a waste, to buy all the things she would need now.

Sakura hummed to herself as she cleaned up her sheets and undressed, she wondered if Hinata had stopped wetting the bed by now, it had been a while since the two had talked and Sakura had offered to help her with her night time issues. Over in the Hyuuga manor, at nearly eight in the morning Hinata rose, finally too bothered to try to get back to sleep.

"Good morning," She said to herself as she usually did. She pulled back the sheets of her bed and sat at the edge. She patted her face twice and opened her milky violet eyes. She smiled at the fresh breeze that was coming in through the window. Fall was upon Konoha. Hinata stood from the bed and walked to her dresser, a telltale crinkle followed with her footsteps. Hinata giggled as she listened to it. "I feel so naughty for enjoying this," she said to herself with rosy cheeks and a smiled she had worn almost non-stop since that night at the festival.

She rubbed her hand against the front of her pajama bottom and smiled as the silky pants rubbed against the plastic surface of the sodden fluff around her. Hinata wasted no more time retrieving a new set of clothes for the day and setting off to freshen up. Hinata did her morning routine, and got ready for the day as Konoha began to come alive.

The second story of the Yamanako Flower Shop was dark, with fall coming in there was very little need to open so early. In the purple colored room a blonde sprout of hair moved indeterminately under the sheets. "Oh Sasuke-kun, please don't do that, not here, we might get caught," the sheets fell back a bit; Ino slept soundly talking to herself in her own perverted dream world. One hand was out of sight still under the covers and the other had its thumb inserted in Ino's mouth. She continued to sleep soundly as her perverse fantasy no doubt played out.

Ino's body contorted a couple of times as she laughed naughtily, and muttered something incoherent, and no doubt dirty. A great big sigh escaped Ino's lips and she sat up in bed. "Sasuke-kun," She said snickering evilly still fantasizing about the angsty Uchiha.

By this time Sakura had finished showering and was getting dressed for the day, she forewent her usual outfit and chose a red dress, reminiscent of the one she wore as a genin, she pulled up a pair of matching red panties and in no time had she was ready for the day. She looked around her room and did some tidying up before she was to leave. She picked up laundry from the floor, and neatly stacked some books she had been reading the night before. Before long, her footsteps echoed rhythmically down the stairs as she reached the landing.

Affixing her headband, she left the house and twirled in the cool morning air. "No Naruto, no missions, I just get to relax!" Sakura was quite happy to be free of training and missions, so that she could enjoy the more simple joys. She thought she might go to the park. Maybe she would see what Ino was doing and they could have tea at the teashop.

Sakura smelled the crisp aroma of leaves falling to the ground, the scent of fall, and the harvest. This time of year was gorgeous in Konoha, almost as much so as the summer cherry blossoms. She breathed all this in, the sights and the sounds of the waning season.

As she meandered down the path in the park, Sakura noticed Hinata brightly coming from the opposite direction. Her eyes were closed and a beaming smile adorned her face. Sakura stopped and waved, calling out to Hinata. "Hey, Hinata! How are you today?" Hinata's eyes opened and she took a glance at Sakura.

"I'm feeling very nice today, Sakura, how are you?" Hinata inquired sweetly, brimming with happiness.

"I've been alright, I've had some nightmares lately but nothing serious," Hinata looked concerned for a second and then nodded.

"Nightmares? Really?" Sakura nodded in reply, but wasn't too much at liberty to discuss the frightful dreams.

"It's nothing serious, Hinata. Don't worry about me," Sakura tried to smile but it belayed her true feelings on the matter. Even without the aide of the byakugan, Hinata could see this clearly.

"Come now, it must be troubling you a bit, you have a very strained expression. Tell me about the dreams," Hinata still felt indebted to Sakura for giving her the vehicle, which had spurred her confidence to be with Naruto. She wanted to repay her anyway, she could.

"Well, I'm chasing a ninja, and when I catch them, they're part of the sound clan, they've killed everyone in the village, and then…then…they kill me. The worse part is the laugh before the enemy attacks, it drives through my very soul and paralyzes me there," Sakura looked much more upset now then when she was hiding her worry, little tears were in her eyes.

"There, there, it was just a dream, we all have recurring dreams sometimes," Hinata hugged Sakura and tried to calm her down, this wasn't Hinata's field of expertise, so she did her best to feel her way through it.

Sakura wiped the tears from her eyes and lightly hugged Hinata back; she stood on her own and smiled, pushing down the fear that had crept back up. "Hinata, thank you. I was going to get Ino and get some tea, you should come with us, I won't let you say no, ever since you and Naruto hooked up you've either been with him or cooped up in your room, its not healthy, a growing girl needs sunlight," she winked at Hinata who giggled giddily and nodded.

"Tea sounds lovely," Hinata replied, dreaming of tasty teacakes and some warm green tea.

"Then let's find pig-face and get to the tea shop, before all of Konoha gets the same idea as us," Sakura said coyly. She unexpectedly grabbed Hinata's arm and bolted down the direction she had been heading, towards the Flower Shop. Hinata looked a little bit surprised but opted to keep up with her host and make their way through the amber, gold, and red speckled trees towards the flower shop.

They reached the Yamanako residence not much later, and found the shop still closed. Sakura sighed. Before saying anything, she walked to the side of the building and to a door. The door's glass panes showed a dark staircase rising to the second level of the house. Sakura depressed a doorbell and waited patiently. Before long Ino trotted down the steps and looked out at Sakura's grinning visage. Ino appeared at the landing and opened the door.

"Hello wide-head, hello Hinata, what's up?" Ino yawned and then looked back at them. Sakura began her invitation.

"Would you like to go to the teashop with me and Hinata? It's a lovely day."

"Why not, it's been a pretty boring morning, what with Shikamaru and Chouji out doing some kind of separate missions.

"Then it's settled, we'll go to the teashop and get some nice tea!" Sakura cried fervently.

"…and teacakes?" Hinata added shyly.

"Of course," Sakura said hitting her open palm with her fist determinedly.

The girls walked towards the teashop with a soft cool breeze following them at their backs. In no time, at all they would be sipping tea, and much to Hinata's delight, having some delicious cakes.

**Chapter 2: Who is Sakura….Really?**

The trio walked down the streets during that auburn autumn day and found themselves at the teashop no more then ten minutes after having arrived at Ino's home. Though they did not speak at all on the way, there the minute they were seated Sakura and Ino began with a torrent of chatter back and forth, most concerning their free time without missions or Sasuke. Hinata sat there sipping her tea, listening to them gossip fervently.

"So then Sasuke, he clobbered the guy with a rock he grabbed on the ground, needless to say the enemy didn't even know what was happening. It was so odd even Kakashi-sensei started to laugh, it was a rather easy mission looking back on it," Sakura had finished her anecdote about a recent B Rank mission Team 7 had gone on not long before, she took a long draw of her tea.

"So, Hinata, how have you and Naruto been doing? I've seen you around town together, what's Naruto like, ya know, romantically? I can't imagine that klutz having even the slightest subtlety in such situations," Ino's question awoke Hinata from her happy trance. Hinata took a teacake from the plate and bit at it, contemplating her answer to such a sensitive question.

"Naruto can be a bit unsettling at times. Nevertheless, he's sweet, and he cares a lot about me. He always asks what I'm doing, or if I want to walk around with him," Hinata was burning a bright crimson. She was unused to talking about her love so openly, not to mention in this manner.

"Naruto never even knew you had a thing for him, after all these years!" Sakura chortled obnoxiously. "He's dense, but you're right, he cares deeply for those around him. More then a depressed Uchiha who never gives me more then a pity walk together," Sakura looked down into her tea. Her inner self cackled and began its own rant.

"Sasuke LOVES you, he's just too shy! Who could NOT love one of the greatest Chuunin Konoha has ever seen!? HAHAHA!" Sakura grinned at her own inner monologue. Ino and Hinata looked at her a bit oddly before Sakura noticed; she returned as she was and popped a teacake into her mouth.

Hinata's feet fidgeted uncomfortably under the table. She grimaced for a moment, even after breaking her crush to Naruto, she'd not stopped wetting the bed, nor gained back any of her former bladder control. She fidgeted a little bit more and knew she was unable to hold it. Defeated, she let her legs rest and allowed the wetness to form around her. She had a wave of guilt pass on her. "I'm not supposed to enjoy this, but who couldn't?" She thought to herself. She ended up relaxing and smiling oddly.

"Are you okay Hinata?" Sakura asked. In the back of her mind, she knew what was transpiring. Hinata's eyes shot open and she turned to the side quickly.

"Just fine, I was just thinking about a sweet gift Naruto gave me," She lied. Sakura looked unimpressed, and Ino was not even paying attention, she was throwing back the teacakes in a style only to be described as Chouji-esque. Sakura disregarded it and went back to her tea. Her mind was back on wetting the bed, and how much of a chore cleaning it up each morning was, not to mention washing all her clothes herself.

"Well, that sounds nice, though I wish pig-Ino would lay off the teacakes so there will be some left for the rest of us!" Sakura elbowed Ino lightly, and she looked bashfully at her best friend.

"I didn't have breakfast," She reasoned wiping her lips softly with a napkin. She let out a generous yawn and threw her head back looking at the oaken ceiling of the teashop. "Well, it's probably time for me to open up the flower shop. Dad's out on a mission and mom is in the hills picking flowers so we'll have some for the colder part of the month, later Hinata, wide-head," Ino rose and walked her way out of the teashop, and before they could do anything about it, out of the bill.

"Damn her, so cheap!" Sakura lightly smacked her hand on the table but her strength made it shake, almost knocking off their teas.

"Don't worry Sakura, I'll pay, my allowance is pretty big," Hinata said generously.

"Its okay, you don't have to…" Sakura was caught off guard as she watched Hinata remove a small wallet from her kunai bag; it was literally filled with money, so much so that it was sticking out in places. "Why would you carry so much money around?" she thought to her self jealously.

"I insist," Hinata urged, placing the money, and a more then generous tip on the table. It was nice getting out and having tea, I was getting bored with cereal for breakfast," Hinata collected herself and wandered out of the shop, she left Sakura alone sitting there with her thoughts. She felt something odd in the pit of her stomach.

"Why was I so intrigued when I realized Hinata was wearing a diaper, just now?" She thought to herself, she put her elbows on the table and rested her head in one hand. She absentmindedly gazed at the azure sky. "I should get home and do the wash, before mom does, she might find the wet clothes. Also, maybe I should cast aside my pride and actually go buy them, its just until the dreams go away, that's all, nothing wrong with that…" Sakura got to her feet and walked to the street.

Kicking the ground softly Sakura turned opposite the direction of her house and walked towards the Nara Pharmacy. The soft dirt of the road clouded and clumped as she plodded down the street, she took her time. Sakura looked up at the cloud, she constantly kept imagining them blood red, the color they were in her dreams, she imagined the dark black moon, and the blood soaked wind. It was hard to keep it off her mind now that there was no distraction.

Sakura desperately tried to shake off the dream and as she did, she noticed her feet in the door of the pharmacy. Surprised her feet had carried her that far without her actually knowing it she entered the shop and looked around. Shikamaru's mother sat behind the counter, reading a romance manga. She snickered a couple of times and totally ignored Sakura's presence.

The pink haired ninja walked down the aisle nonchalantly and without even a moment of deliberation grabbed the package, she normally did back then. With that same ease, her hands dropped it onto the counter. Shikamaru's mother only looked from the manga to the total as she scanned the item instinctively. "There's your total," she said uninterested, a common Nara trait, it seemed.

"Thank you, here you are," Sakura handed over the money and grasped the bagged item.

"Yup, come back again," she answered, flipping the page of her book.

Sakura strolled away from the store, unfazed by an action she had grown used to much long before. "I thought I'd grown out of these…" Sakura grimaced "…grown out of them again, that is," She completed sighing. "Well what can you do, what I've learned from Tsunade-sama is that you can only control the human body so much, and if it wants to rebel you can only just wait till it stops," Sakura reasoned with herself all the way to the front door of her house, and as she stepped inside she felt a whole lot better.

Without thought she deposited all her things in the room and returned downstairs to get a start on the washing. It took a while but she finished the laundry, all of it. No need to do what was hers only and raise suspicion. Sakura had everything neatly hung on the line an hour thereafter. She sighed. It was barely noon and already the doldrums of a mission free day was tiring her.

Returning to her room Sakura wrote a little bit of work she had to do for Tsunade, and then she did another cleaning of her room. All the while, her eyes were locked on the bagged package resting on the foot of her bed. She felt like it was calling out to her, and something inside wanted her to put it on. She imagined Hinata in them as she had seen in the dressing room of the tailor shop back during the summer.

When she had efficiently stalled only so far past the noon tone of her room clock she sat on her bed. With another loud yawn, she fell back and looked at the off-white walls. As she turned her head to the other side, she looked to her feet and saw the package once more. "Well, I guess I could do with a nap, if there's nothing left to do at the moment," Sakura said, almost looking for an excuse to open the diapers.

Giving in Sakura sat up and took off her skirt; she removed her shorts as well. Sitting in her panties and shirt, she looked at the bag and pulled out its contents. With anticipation she could not explain, she had removed a folded brief and looked at it, as if to ask, "Why do I want to wear you?" She could not get such an answer from it, and so thought it would be more constructive to think about it whilst she napped.

Unfolding it and removing her underwear Sakura was able to just as easily as before position and affix each of the six tapes, this time securing the brief to her own body, as she had done a few months back. When it was done, she sat there looking at it, every so often poking it with her hands. Sakura felt so pacified by it, so happy and calmed. Even her nightmare wouldn't be able to beat the goodness she was experiencing.

"Well, whether or not I can explain it, I know it feels really good, that's about as much as I can say, huh?" Sakura giggled and pulled her sheet around her waist. She curled up and held tight a small stuffed animal that usually sat at the head of her bed. Though she knew she must have looked so infantile there, diapered and clutching a toy it felt so good, it felt right. Sakura fell asleep without delay. "Let the dream come! I don't need to be afraid," she thought mightily.

**Chapter 3: Something Out of Place**

The room was bathed in amber afternoon light, as a soft cooling wind swept into the open window and enveloped the room. Bare toes of a sleeping girl were disturbed by the cool wind and wiggled rebelliously to retain warmth. Sakura turned over in her sleep and smiled to herself. The coolness of the air roused her, and in that semi-lucid state, Sakura saw it. A black shadow moving around her room, small and close to the ground; it seemed unaware or oblivious to her. As she sat up in bed and rubbed her eyes, she looked once more and the shadow was gone.

Scoured her room for the creature, whatever it was, but could not find hide, nor hair of it. "Maybe it had not been there," she thought scratching her head and looking quizzically at the floor where she had seen it.

As she looked once more around the room, her eyes fell to midsection. The tapes of the diaper were held steadfast and her little nap had not disturbed the garment that much. Sakura noted the warm, moist feeling of dampness, not a lot at all, but it was there. She sat down on her bed and looked at the plastic padding surrounding her.

"Still no good," She said to herself. "I dunno why I like the way this feels, but I do, it's so comfy, and soothing. I just wanna wear it all day!" Sakura prodded the diaper and listened to her hands rub against the softness.

The wetness was barely there, Sakura figured, as she pulled her skirt around the diaper, and then pull on her shorts. It was snug, with both the shorts and skirt hiding it, nearly impossible to notice she had it on. One look in the mirror affirmed it and Sakura gave herself the thumbs up. "It isn't wet enough to merit changing out of it so why waste a perfectly good diaper?" Sakura said to herself happily cringing as she said it.

She didn't know much of what to do now, however. She had really nothing she could do; having exhausted going to the teahouse earlier that day, she was out of options. Sakura decided just to leave the house and let a walk take her around town.

Stepping into the fall air Sakura breathed deeply. She filled her lungs with the pristine, clean air. Her eyes opened slowly and she smiled. Setting out upon her way Sakura made down the road into the center of town, she listened to the beat of each step she took, and began to be lulled by it. She started to close her eyes and lose herself in the soft steps. As she did so, Sakura banged a figure ahead of her. Both of them fell to the ground with a soft thud.

Jarred and surprised Sakura looked at the person she had just bowled over. Hinata held her head softly. "Oww, oww," Hinata mumbled. Sakura noticed a bag Hinata had been carrying lying on the ground. Getting to her feet Sakura retrieved it and helped Hinata rise to her own feet.

"You dropped this," Sakura said trying to smile apologetically. "I'm sorry I knocked you over Hinata, I wasn't paying attention to where I was going," Hinata shook her head.

"Its okay Sakura, I was not watching where I was going either. It's not your fault," Hinata took the bag from Sakura's hand and held it tightly, hoping not to lose it again. Sakura, now having an opportunity to break the boredom of the day began to walk with Hinata.

"Whats in the bag, Hinata?" Sakura asked nosily. Hinata blushed a little bit; there was no reason to hide it from her. Though she still hesitated to say it aloud, so she patted her own bottom, and it made a soft, unique sound, Hinata smiled as she herself heard it. Sakura nodded her head.

"So, umm, what are you doing?" Hinata questioned as the two made their way through town.

"Nothing much, there really isn't anything to do, to be honest. I was hoping I would bump into something to do in town, apparently I did," Sakura laughed at her own bad pun, not wanting to offend, so did Hinata. The two had walked all the way to Hinata's family's manor before either of them had even noticed. Hinata stood at the gate and looked to Sakura.

"Would you like to come in? We have fresh juice and cookies my mom and sister made. They are very yummy," Hinata tried to be very friendly and polite, but to tell the truth Sakura was not a person she was very comfortable around. Being that she barely knew her it was odd, suddenly spending so much time with her. However, Sakura exude an air of calmness, friendliness, and joy, so Hinata wasn't averse to starting to get to know her.

"I would love to come in, this is the first time I've ever actually been inside the Hyuuga quarter, and I never noticed it was so big and beautiful!" Sakura looked around in amazement at all the large manors and homes that made up the wealthiest area in Konoha. She followed Hinata as she made her way into the house. Sliding open, the door in the front the two removed their shoes and continued down an oaken hallway. The entire time Sakura gaped in wide wonder.

"This is my room," Hinata announced opening the door and letting Sakura pass through it. Sakura's jaw hit the floor; the room was practically the size of three rooms in her house. The soft smell of lavender floated in the room, it was clean, and fresh, devoid of anything on the floor, and all items on furniture were straight and ordered.

Sakura adored all the things that made Hinata's room. A large pile of stuffed toys sat in one corner, its size was nearly triple anything Sakura had ever had, and she thought that if she was to trip in she might never find her way out. There was a small refrigerator on the floor, and though it looked like it had seen little use, it was still there. Hinata closed the door behind them and sat on her bed. "Well, this is my room," Hinata repeated.

"It's so big, and there's so much stuff! It's incredible; I love your room Hinata!" Sakura exclaimed sitting on the bed with her. With a blush, Hinata nodded. While Sakura was admiring the room, she had placed her bag in the dark corner near her bed, along with the nearly empty package that was already there. Hinata remembered what she had said outside the house.

"Oh, let me get the cookies and juice!" Hinata said snapping her fingers. She scurried off to the corner of the room and took from a table there a plate covered in foil, on her way back she stopped at the frig and took out two cans of juice. Stepping back and sitting on the bed, Hinata removed the foil from the plate and showed Sakura the cookies. "They're really good," Hinata was smiling brightly.

Sakura took one of the cookies and bit apiece off, it was sweet and very tasty; she quickly had finished that cookie, along with two others before she even had accepted the juice from Hinata. As they both clicked open their cans, a soft mist shot from the cans. The two of them stared at the floor, saying nothing; it was an awkward silence, from which there seemed to be no means of penetration, until Sakura finally spoke.

"They are really good Hinata. Very yummy." Sakura smiled with her usual brightness but the returned silence was staggering. Hinata had her eyes closed. She was in thought. Sakura heard a soft sound from Hinata, almost like as if she had been exhaling a deep, deep breath very slowly. It took Sakura a moment to fully realize Hinata had just been wetting her diaper. As it dawned on her, she giggled a little bit.

"Whats funny?" Hinata asked quizzically, she was blushing.

"Nothing, I thought of a funny joke, is all," Sakura felt safe with that answer.

"Tell me, I like jokes," Hinata beamed and Sakura nearly choked on her juice. She was caught. She fumbled, desperately trying to think of some comical thing to say. She came up blank in the end.

"Do you need to change?" Sakura asked rather abruptly, turning her head to the side as she said it. This took Hinata off guard, she looked shocked for a moment, her usual composure returned, and she smiled.

"Umm, now that you mention it, I am a little damp, truthfully," Hinata was playing with her fingers as she usually did when she was nervous. She fidgeted a little bit. "Would you mind….." Sakura cut her off.

"I'd be happy to change you," This hit Hinata like a truck. She lost her breath on the air alone and wheezed for a moment.

"I was going to ask you if you would mind excusing me for a moment. Its quite alright, you don't have to change me," Sakura blushed almost as deep as Hinata wondering why she had asked that question. Maybe it was caused by the thick comforting material between her own legs, or maybe it was an unconscious comfort in being around someone one of her friends cares for. She looked away. "But, if you really would like to, I won't stop you, I trust you," Sakura could not answer, however before she knew it she was removing Hinata's silky lycra pants.

"A little damp?" Sakura said cynically yet comically. "You're about to leak, Hinata!" The Hyuuga reddened as she felt her guest pull at the diaper tapes. The cool autumn air met Hinata's soft areas and she gasped for a moment. Sakura looked around for something in the vicinity; it was handed to her by Hinata, a small package of wet wipes.

"I was looking for these, thank you Hinata," Sakura said coyly. She gently wiped Hinata of any wetness and before she had finished Hinata's hand held a fresh diaper, outstretched. "Thank you," Sakura's smile was almost as cheery as Hinata's bubbly grin.

Continuing her masterful work Sakura replaced the wet garment with the fresh one, exactly like the one she wore around her own waist. With six crackles and six soft pressures on her abdomen, Hinata felt Sakura's hands pull her up from the back. The soft silken, almost body tight pants slid up Hinata's legs and were positioned, as they had been less then a minute before. Though it had felt a lot longer for the two of them, it was not awkward, and it was oddly bonding.

Sakura sat back on the bed and felt Hinata hug her. The two were like that for a moment or so until there was a sound from the other side of the room. Their eyes moved to the corner and both widened. In that corner an indiscriminant shadow, even in the gleaming sunlight pouring in from an open window, stood dark and hidden for a moment, seemingly peering in their direction. It was faceless, formless and for a split second stood still, menacing deeper and darker then any nightmare. In that same moment, however it smashed off the floor and out the window into the fading light.

"What was that…?"

"I have no clue, Hinata…..but I saw it earlier….in my room, and if I have any clue, I know where it's going next…"

The two kunoichis looked at each other and in the same speed the figure had left; they too sped out, heading for the suspected destination of the mysterious shape.

**Chapter 4: Something Odd is Definitely Going On **

Feet pounded the ground and the rooftops as the two girls bound in the same knowing direction. As if the shadow was right before them the girls moved faster, swifter, and more intently. Finally, they arrived, and sure enough moments later the door of the home slammed open and Ino bound out, she looked around, almost disregarding the presence of Hinata and Sakura.

"Where'd the hell that thing go? More on track, what the hell was it?!" Ino wringed her hands around furiously as Sakura eased her a little bit. Ino looked at the two of them. "What are you guys doing here?" Inquired Ino questioningly. It then dawned on her. "You guys must have seen that thing too, huh?" Ino put one hand to her head and exhaled.

"Yes we saw it, I saw it in my room when I woke earlier, and me and Hinata both saw it in her room about 5 minutes ago," Sakura looked tense, her eyes looked back and forth, her nerves were crowding her. She was not only worried about the shade they had seen but about Ino noticing the garment under Sakura's skirt. She moved a little oddly now as she looked off into the distance.

"Do you remember which way it was heading when it escaped, Ino?" Hinata asked affirmatively. She looked determined now, the thought of something to do was more then enough to pursue even a wild goose chase.

"It bound out my bedroom window," She pointed up, the window was opened, breeze was pushing back the curtains, making ghosts seem to dance in the window friendly with the inviting wind. The assembled group looked out at direction of most likely travel for the shadow. It pointed out towards the forest of Konoha.

"Let's get moving, the faster we look into this the better, for my nerves, and incase this figure means anyone harm," Sakura was intent; she had removed the gloves from her kunai pouch and put them on. Hinata nodded in response, and Ino smiled wickedly.

"Alright finally something to do, even if it is with you, Wide-Head," Ino taunted but Sakura ignored it, she had already bolted from the spot, her dust trail cut at the dirt roads. Almost surprised Ino and Hinata jumped forward after Sakura. It took mere minutes to reach the gate at the edge of village, the two usual gate guards replaced by one female one. She was slumped against main door, asleep. Hinata giggled at this, Ino scoffed, and Sakura totally blazed past it.

The forest was thin in this area of the village, it sprawled with many trees here and there, but overall an abundance of green tall grass, high rocks, and other places an enemy shinobi could easily hide, and strike from. Hinata sensing that quickly took to activating her byakugan.

"I don't sense anything suspicious, no chakra signatures around here except our own," Hinata announced, the three girls each faced a different direction, in stance, ready to fight.

"Hmm, I don't think the figure just would have stopped if it was escaping, let's move into the denser woods," Sakura order pointing to a darkened area far off where the woods converged and the trees grew fierce with brambles, thorns, and unknown creatures.

"If they were willing to hide then that would be the optimal place to do so," Hinata analyzed her byakugan scanning as far ahead as she could, but finding nothing.

"Well, let's get moving then," Ino announced moving forward. She darted to a branch as Sakura and Hinata caught up. The three swung, climbed, and bounded from branches and vines purveying the surroundings with keen eye and sense. There seemed to be nothing to indicate another being having traveled through the area.

They stopped, Sakura who had taken the lead ceased for a moment, looking around. Her face was flush; she took a moment to rest, sitting on the branch. She had not done so much moving in so little time since the days of her early missions. More used to deskwork and other medical practices she needed another moment to catch her breath. Her body shook a bit as Ino sat next to her. Sakura was afraid; she hesitated any movement that would cause even a stray crinkle or telltale sound.

"You okay Sakura?" Ino said putting her hand on Sakura's forehead and then measuring it to her own. "You seem a little warm, but it's probably from all this exertion," With this touch Sakura almost began to tremble. Along with her fear of discover another nagging problem had surfaced. Sakura had to pee.

She whimpered under her breath, she knew she could not hold it, so without trying she just began to wet as slowly as possible. The sound was inaudible, Ino looked none the wiser as Sakura finished and put her hands in her lap. The warmth was contained, and against the breeze, penetrating even the thick trees, felt heavenly, worth having come out here, even if it was to go on a snipe hunt.

Another wind had gathered through the trees. The air rushed past them. It was clean, crisp, until there was another scent on the wind, there was pungent odor, something specific. It was burning, something burning. This alarmed Hinata first, who initially noticed it. The breeze was coming back from Konoha. All of three of them were soon alerted to the smell of something aflame.

As fast as they had bound into the forest, they were running back full speed towards the village. They arrived moments later; a small plume of smoke was rising from a home close to the entrance of town. Without hesitation, the girls walked to the front of the house. From the second story window, a small burst of smoke escaped. Sakura entered the open front door cautious. Something was not right about this; everything was too calm, too still for a fire.

The made it to the second story kitchen, the fire's origin revealed. The kitchen's stove was aflame burning brightly; a pot upon it had overflowed tremendously and torched the entire top of the cooking apparatus. The person who must have been managing the pot was upon the floor, she was unharmed, and did not have any signs of struggle. In fact, she was making a soft noise as she lied there. She was sleeping. Ino scratched her head as Hinata shut the gas and doused the flames with a fire extinguisher. Ino sighed sardonically. "You'd expect a woman to be more intelligent then to leave the stove on, and fall asleep, especially right in the middle of the floor…" Ino's own comment made her suspect something.

"I don't think she just fell asleep of her own free will," Sakura said thinking back to the guard when they had left the village. "Maybe we should see the Hokage about this? Tsunade would know what to do, and we can report the mysterious shadow too. Better safe then sorry," Sakura picked up the lady lying on the floor and brought her to a couch. After they were fixed up, the three left and made for the Hokage's offices.

Eerie silence consumed them as they hurried down the street. There seemed to be no one about, no one walking. There was no one anywhere. Hinata looked around with her byakugan, she made note of all the people nearby. None of them moved, seemingly entranced. Sakura had stopped ahead of them, Ino had too, and Hinata slammed into them both and looked ahead. There was a girl lying in the road, a red substance was all around her. Its color indicated a grisly fate. Frightened Sakura rushed over and picked her up. They were surprised once more. "Is this….fruit punch?" Sakura asked looking at the totally unharmed child, who was peacefully napping, albeit right in the middle of the road, soaked in sugary punch.

"Weird…" Hinata said looking at the other two.

"I think telling the Hokage is more then a good idea, this doesn't seem normal to me, that this many people would be asleep at this hour, and in such odd places, Ino sounded concerned. The three propped the girl against a building and made sure she looked comfortable; once more, they found themselves bulleting towards the Hokage. Hinata had pieced something together and though silent, she was quite sure what they would find at the Hokage's office.

As feet pounded on the walkway that circled up to the posh rooms in the top of the administration building the sun was beginning to cast long, gruesome shadows on the mountain of the Hokages. Each stone face looked as if it was shrouded in pools of black nothingness With constant pace the three threw open the entrance and made down the hall to the large oak and pine doors that stood to guard the Hokages office from anyone just barging in. Sakura proceeded in the lead, followed by Ino and trailed by Hinata.

Politely knocking against the door to the office had no affect. Sakura pounded her hand harder this time, the door slightly shook under each knock, again no one answered. With this Sakura turned the handle, pushed the door open slightly and looked inside. All was still. Respectfully Sakura walked in and looked around. She met a less then shocking scene. Tsunade's head was resting against the desk; she was sawing logs louder then the burliest of lumberjacks. Shizune was sleeping in the corner and even Tonton in her arms was fast asleep.

Sakura, Ino, and Hinata just looked at each other, then back at the sleeping Hokage. "Wake up Tsunade-sama!" Ino shouted angrily, she rustled at the Hokage's arm a few times, but it was no good, neither she nor Shizune would wake from their nap, no matter how furiously they were shaken.

"This isn't good, first the shadow…now all these people asleep, and unable to wake up…what could be happening?" Hinata's voice questioned as her face became one of fear and insecurity.

"I don't know what's going on, but it seems like we're the only ones that weren't affected, needless to say I think that was intention. Something strange really is going on, we need to get to the bottom of this," Sakura pounded her hand against her palm. "We start by finding that mysterious shadow,"

**Chapter 5: Into the Trap**

Without haste, all three of them were out and about the village once more. They scoured up and down, let and right for the shadow, for any trace of anything else that was weird. It had been some time since then when all three of them were once more standing in the center of town, perplexed and unable to come up with anything useful in their hunt to figure out what was going on in their village.

"Nothing!" Ino cried, her hands were thrown up into the air in utter frustration and despair. She kicked the ground angrily. The sun cast a malicious glow on them from its perch near the horizon. Sakura put her hand on Ino's shoulder.

"I'm sure we'll find something soon, it can't be long before whatever is going on here will be revealed," Sakura wiggled a little bit as a cool breeze ran past her. She could feel the now cool, sodden diaper pressing up against her. She wriggled a little more and then decided it was making too much of a scene and ceased. Hinata giggled a little, knowing exactly how Sakura felt.

Hinata sat on a park bench and looked up at the sun. She was unable to come up with anything; nothing moved inside her byakugan, nothing seemed out of place. The people were all fine….just asleep. Hinata could not help but sigh and exhale deeply as she flooded her diaper, still in thought. The warmth and relaxation made it easier to think in this predicament. She was trying to postulate some sort of reason for this. She was unable.

"The sun is setting; I don't think we should stay out in the open for much longer. In the dark, in this village basically alone, we would stand no chance against a ninja, with enough power to put the entire village to sleep right under our noses!" Sakura whined sitting next to Hinata. Unlike when she first put it on, she now direly wanted to be out of diapers, or at the very least, in a nice clean one.

"Don't be a crybaby Sakura," Ino said sitting in between Hinata and Sakura. She put her hand on Sakura's thigh and patted it consolingly. "This is probably not even as bad as we think it is," She tried to reassure her best friend, still unable to reassure herself of their safety. She knew the cruel sun would be snuffing out its protecting rays soon enough.

"Let's go back to my house, and have something to eat," Hinata suggested, standing up, quite wanting to be changed before the semi-noticeable smell of urine would betray her. "All these people are safe, asleep, but safe," She noted nodding to herself.

"Sure that's reasonable," Ino sighed, standing.

"Your house is big, so we should definitely stick together there, though," Sakura warned, she too rising to stand with the others.

"True," Hinata said softly, shifting on her toes, smiling at the odd coolness against her at all times. She shied to the back of the group. "I'll put my byakugan up; you lead the way Sakura, please,"

Silently Sakura nodded and the three moved out with lightening speed, as the sun made to set on them before they could reach the Hyuuga Manor. However, they were moving just as fast, and before the sun had reached half of its descent into sleep on Konoha, they were standing at the gates of the Hyuuga quarter. Just as the angry glow of the sun, casting its sharp, unnatural dusk shadows, the three had closed shut the door to Hinata's room, and illuminated it.

It was empty, as it had been when only Sakura and Hinata had been inside; nonetheless, there was a foreboding, almost chilling presence hanging in the air. Ino shivered as she shut the latch to the open window and sat on the small pillow on one side of Hinata's center table. She had a tense look written on her, all of them did, and they looked hesitantly back and forth to each other.

"Hinata, where is your bathroom?" Ino suddenly asked breaking the tentative silence that had grasped the room in a stranglehold. Hinata's hand pointed shyly at a door in the back of the room. Ino got up and without fear opened the door and closed it behind her.

Like some kind of fire had been lit under them, Hinata and Sakura looked back and forth at each other urgently. Sakura sighed miserably. Hinata blushed deeply.

"Get changed quickly, while Ino is in the bathroom, go ahead, I don't mind," Hinata blushed fiercely as she whispered this covertly to Sakura whom had already gotten her shorts down and her skirt up before Hinata had even finished. Sakura was upon Hinata's bed not even a moment later, taking a diaper from Hinata's package in the dark, unseen cubby of her room. With hands moving frantically quickly and eyes on the door on the far end of the room, she made to change her diaper.

More then a half minute later Sakura stood up, her shorts slid against her smooth thighs, into place against the spongy padding. She almost fell back onto the bed as Ino exited the lavatory not even a second later. Ino and Sakura both had the same cheesy smile on her face. Hinata just looked at them oddly. She admired how somehow these two conflicting women could be such great friends.

The three of them were sitting around the small table somewhere into the early hours of the morning. Each of them had a strained look on their face, a bingo book laid open on the table; stacks of paper with writing scribbled everywhere littered the tabletop and the area around it. Sakura had smudges of pencil lead on her forehead; Ino was dozing slightly. They fought to stay awake, knowing the shadow would pray on them in their weakest state.

"Hinata momentarily put her head on the desk, on top of her folded arms. She snuggled into it tiredly. Her yawn made the other two shudder and yawn without much fight. Sakura pinched her thigh angrily; her eyes widened in pain a little and then settled. She was direly trying to figure all of this in her head.

As she looked form Ino to Hinata, she laid on her back and stared at the ceiling. She began to get a cold, ominous feeling. The feeling that had been lingering in the room since that afternoon began to intensify rapidly. Something, someone, was watching them, and their chakra, Sakura could not even fathom its size. It was so large the presence engulfed them, making it almost hidden.

Sakura was on her feet moments later. She looked around the room in fear, trying to pinpoint the center of the huge chakra signature she had just noticed. The two others were already at their feet, eyes wide, Hinata's byakugan was activated, and she whipped her head around wildly to try to find the source of the giant energy mass.

"Where? Where?! Where?!!" Hinata repeated frenetically, her body was tense, like stone, locked in place, her head pivoting and swiveling trying to find the source. All at once, her eyes went wide, and suddenly Hinata fell onto her knees, she looked shakily at Sakura and Ino. "The roof….above us…." She muttered softly.

Ino's reaction was surprisingly a smug one. She sniggered loudly; her hands ran across the wall and met the door to the courtyard adjoining Hinata's room. She slid it open without a sound and stepped silently onto the wooden walkway outside. Sakura and Hinata followed her, wordlessly. Ino was on the edge of the courtyard; she turned back to the other two and smiled. "Now or never," she breathed.

With a powerful leap, all three of the ninja clattered to the top of the manor. They stopped there. In triangle formation, backs to each other they searched the roof. There was nothing, nothing at all, yet the sudden darkness and gloom still hung in the air.

"No…there's no way my byakugan was wrong….they're here!" Hinata whispered urgently. It mattered not; Sakura and Ino had already figured that out.

Glowing like blue smoke the shadow hung in the air ahead of Sakura and Ino. Hinata had whipped around only moments later to see it with them. Agape the three stood in awe as the giant chakra waves fluctuated, punctuated, and finally condensed. Form came from the foggy mist and the spindles that had been cores of red had formed into eyes. There was a shattering sound as the final condensation of power broke tiles of the roof all the way up to the feet of the three.

"Who are you?!" Ino shouted angrily, making a stance. The smoke's shape soon became apparent.

It was there; clad in black and white camouflage scraps here and there, along with dark green slacks. They wore the vest of a Jounin, though it was grey, indicative of those arisen to the ranks of Jounin in only one village. A Sound headband gleamed in the cold, forbidding moonlight. All of a sudden, the sound of a whistle was an apparent as the ninja stopped blowing on it. This had been the source of their power, a sound genjutsu. The small whistle disappeared in a flash of smoke. The ninja remained, menacingly admiring its prey.

"Who are you?" Sakura chimed in following Ino's suit. This ninja looked all too real, and familiar. Like the one from her dream, like the one from her nightmare.

The enemy was quick, before they could noticed it was gone and behind them. Hinata was hit first, though she, having seen the move coming, was able to block it. She slid backwards and flipped into stance once more.

Sakura was easily able to stop the fist of the attack ninja with great ease. However, a burst into smoke stopped her from breaking the arm of her opponent.

Ino grinned. The ninja reappeared, realizing they had approached too haughtily, and mistook the power of her "prey." Her hands moved into formation and Ino connected with her powerful mind-control jutsu a moment later. Ino went limp. She was inside the head of the enemy ninja, but unlike normally she was standing in a black abyss, this was all too reminiscent of another time her jutsu had failed.

A voice rang through Ino's ears with carnal veracity, "So, you think you're mind is as powerful as mind?! I cannot sit here and teach an enemy infant how to think!!! Be gone you child!" A large light blasted towards Ino its form was all at once recognizable, but even knowing that would do no good, the attack connected.

Ino's body flopped as she was flopped back into it. Sakura ran to her side, she shook her best friend softly. Ino stirred. Sakura breathed a sigh of relief. "Hold it off Hinata; I need to make sure Ino is okay!" Sakura shouted as Hinata's hands resonated with chakra. "Ino are you okay?" Sakura inquired holding her friend whom convulsed some bit more before opening her eyes.

Sakura breathed a sigh of relief, only too soon. Ino's eyes well with tears, Sakura felt her hand that rested in Ino's lap become terribly warm. Ino began to cry, from embarrassment or something else was not clear, until she spoke.

"Kyaah!" Ino shouted babyishly as she motioned at her crotch, now soaked.

"Ino, are you alright?" Sakura shouted as she, in a horrified state, observed her friend's odd behavior.

"You're friend is lucky…" The voice of the enemy ninja was shrill, feminine as it came to Sakura and Hinata. "I tried to smash her mind into pieces…seems as if I was only temporarily able to stunt it…never you mind…" The shinobi began to cackle in a way that almost formed tears of fear in the eyes of the pink haired kunoichi, "…it'll be all the more easy to defeat only the two of you, because I hardly doubt an infant can fight! HAHAHA!!"

Sakura stared from the enemy, to her now handicapped teammates; she all at once knew they might be in way over their heads.

**Chapter 6: Between Enemies and Infant Inos**

The darkness swallowed them. Their opponent's shrouded face added to her ferocity. Hinata's now shaky defense stood against the obviously powerful foe. As if sizing up the two for easiest method of disposal the figure stood, almost disarmingly in a nonchalant stance, one hand on its hit, the other holding its chin.

"Don't underestimate me and let down your guard!" Sakura had stood; she appeared inches from the enemy, dropping her fist into the stomach of the female ninja. An explosion of smoke threw Sakura back, tossing a barrage of shuriken to stave off any offensive. Where the enemy had been there was nothing, a roof tile crashed back to the rooftop.

"The same can go for you, don't sum me up so easily," The voice was strong, but came from nowhere around them, it was inside Sakura's head. There was a shockwave only moments later and the pink haired girl was thrown off the roof, smashing through a tree and into a rock in the meditation garden.

Appearing once more in a shroud of smoke, the mysterious foe, poised and ready, suddenly bared down on the only ready to fight ninja left. Hinata backed off, dodging in rapid succession all of the attacks. She analyzed each as they came her way, each stretch of muscle, each soft movement, every breath, and all the subtle nuances of the enemy's movements. She took them all in, calculating, recalculating, and setting up a target to strike. Finally, Hinata feinted and struck with impunity.

When Hinata had open her eyes, a bad habit of hers in closing them at all, the female before her was on one knee, the front of her camouflage blouse was torn from the impact of Hinata's juuken. Sweat was dribbling from the foreheads of both ninja. Soft heaving breaths emitted from the enemy showed at least some wear and tear from the strike.

Hinata took no time to regroup and attack again. As she thought the enemy pulled themselves up in time and countered, but now they were on the defensive. Hinata thought she might have a chance; another well-placed juuken would definitely cause her opponent to at least retreat.

Erratic chakra waves blew around the enemy as Hinata jumped, thrust forward, kicked, and chopped; each of the attacks moving closer to hitting. The frantic nin, now on the run parried as fast as they could, almost in awe of how fast Hinata was, and how graceful she moved, with attacks still having an incredible bite.

"I can't believe….it….you've gotten….you are much stronger than I thought!" The ninja's remark sounded oddly more like a compliment than a astonished comment, but Hinata disregarding it, giving one of her oh-so-out-of-character grins that's came with a burst of supreme confidence.

"There's no time for you to be thinking!" Hinata shouted thrusting forward at an increasingly faster speed, just what she needed. A shot hit, it was only a mere smack to the shoulder, and it deflected off the nin's chakra, but it was all she needed. Her enemy swung to the side just a bit. Hinata again smirked in that almost sinister manner. Calling out, "Right there!" Hinata's hand, doused in chakra, strengthened by a full lunge forward careened on a collision course dead center betwixt the breasts of the enemy.

All seemed at an end, the female opponent gaped in horror, under her mask as the hand of doom, as it were, pierced through the night. It would have been over in that second, had a cry not have called out, alongside the energized palm. "Kyaah, Hinata!" Ino had jumped upon Hinata's back in one sudden movement, in her state, blissfully unaware of the battle, taking place the entire time.

"No, Ino…." Hinata's aim was thrown off; in the last second, she had been shifted. Falling in a tumble Hinata's full powered hand missed its mark, slamming directly into the kneecap of the nin, instead of her chest. Hinata hit the ground, the power of her attack not fading until she had skidded to a complete stop, about a meter from the enemy.

"Aaaaaaaah!" A mournful, intolerably screeching siren of pain flooded the night air; the enemy fell to the roof hugging her most definitely injured left knee. Audible crying was heard as she scrambled to her working leg and took back into her lips the whistle. Struggling to get out from under Ino, Hinata could only watch as the nin blew sorrowfully on it and disappeared in smoke and light. "This….is not over," The voice called on the wind as it rustled through the trees.

Hinata finally found the ability to push out from under the purple clad ninja, and sit on the roof to catch her breath. Overlooking the meditation garden, she scanned it for Sakura, whom she found struggling to her feet, then brushing off her clothes. Hinata sighed deeply. "Running in a diaper is hard," Hinata, pouted, totally disregarding the obviously unaware Ino sitting beside her and still locked onto her arm.

Sakura clattered onto the roof, joining her comrades, sitting next to her blissfully dumb best friend and releasing Hinata from Ino's grip. "Ino…are you alright, yet?" Sakura questioned, looking over her friend in a medical manner, checking her eyes, her vitals, and her body over for anything that looked out of place, literally not a strand of hair was out of place. The problem was purely internal. Sakura could detect the odor of Ino's wet clothing, as it permeated the mellow scent of autumn's leaves.

"Kyaaah! Kyaah! Unh, unh!" Ino pointed at her wet spot as Sakura's intensive gaze at it alerted even the now dulled, infantile senses of Ino. Sakura's discontent was palpable.

"Let's get you down from here, Ino. You're already a handful as you were, hopefully baby Ino is not so much," Sakura put Ino upon her back to Ino's delight, and descended from the roof.

"Wait for me!" Hinata cried behind them, in pursuit as the two entered her room.

The three, once more in the room, made to shutting the door, and setting the table from the corner of the room tight against it. Hinata looked down at her hands; she had been so close to ending the nightmare right then and there, if only she had not been interrupted. She grumbled indistinctively, sitting on her bed.

Sakura fussed with Ino on the other side of the room, removing her skirt and wrappings to free Ino from her wet clothes. With a final sigh of relief, she removed a pair of silky purple panties, only slightly sodden in a small shape around the bottom. Hinata glanced at them, and then to herself. She reached into the corner and got out a couple of things, she walked to her stack of stuffed animals, selected the cuddliest one there. The little fox stuffy had been hers since she was born, big, orange, and utterly adorable, it was somewhat ironic that she owned it, thinking back to a certain big, orange, monster that had nearly destroyed their village.

Hinata ran her hands over the velour fur and the silky furry mane and tails. Before she had even finished reminiscing, Hinata's hands had passed the fox over to Ino, whose now stunted mind seized the toy and cuddled it like it had been her own kit. Nuzzling the animal affectionately, Ino's awareness dispersed entirely. Hinata knelt beside the two of them and set down a diaper, powder, and the package of wipes.

"Here, let's make it so that Ino's less of a burden, change her into something of mine, she shouldn't have to wear anything dirty. I have a spare uniform, my older one, in my dresser, since Ino is quite more petite than I am, I am sure she will fit into it!" Hinata beamed shyly, stopping only when she was revisited by the cold, inflated diaper between her own legs.

"Thank you, Hinata. You should get changed too, not to be mean, but you are starting to smell a little," Sakura held her nose playfully and grinned her cheesy, though for her, sincere looking smile. She had begun the task of diapering the randomly fidgeting Ino as Hinata took to her feet and shuffled to her bed.

Nearly simultaneous sounds of crinkling, and snapping tapes was heard from both sides of the room. Ino's giggling rung out every so often as her hands closed ever more tightly around the fox toy. Eventually, Hinata was standing over Sakura; Ino was propped up against the wall, still loving the little stuffed animal.

"I see you're enjoying my foxy, take good care of him." Hinata rubbed the fox's head through Ino's hands.

This delighted Ino once again and with a shrill shriek of joy, she made to dance the fox around the floor in front of her. Sakura struggled a little, pulling up the soft, form-fitting pants, around Ino's seated and padded bottom. Finally, after arduous struggle, she had secured the pants at her friend's waist. Sakura put the coat back in its place not nearly having the patience to deal with getting that on.

"So….did you beat, the enemy?" Sakura had become serious once more; her eyes were heavy, fighting sleep.

Figuring something first Hinata finally replied, "No, she retreated, because Ino hit onto me when I was about strike, I don't blame her because of her current state, but now the enemy will come back, and this time….I doubt I will be able to play the same game against them." Hinata was a bit despondent she wiggled her toes and played with her fingers, deep in thought.

"You won't have to, we're going to fight together next time, and there's no way the enemy will be able to deal with that! Teamwork should have been our goal from the beginning," Sakura rose from her crouching position and posed devilishly.

"Kyaah! Hehehe!" Ino stumbled to her feet and posed like Sakura, she was off balance, and staggered a bit, but was able to emulate it pretty well. Seeing this made both Sakura and Hinata giggle happily, to which Ino followed. Ino walked a little more, eventually stumbling and falling to her bottom. Grimacing only slightly she decided crawling would be a much easier way of getting around, and made off towards Hinata's pile of dollies, the fox doll still in her hands.

Collapsing upon them, Ino snuggled amongst the toys for some time, before Sakura had started to get her out. Hoisting Ino from the toys, Ino giggled with sheer glee. Ino's face could not hold the smile for long however, as obvious tiring had took its toll. Ino's face went limp, her eyes sunk heavily, trying in vain to stay open.

"Kyaaah-" Ino whimpered one last time, it was then that her eyes sunk down fully, putting her to sleep in earnest.

"That's a big relief," Sakura sighed as she sat on the bed, Ino in her arms, swaying back and forth with her. "Who knew it could be so much work just taking care of her for less than an hour?"

"Babies are a big thing to handle, always needing love, and attention, or else they feel alone," Hinata sat on the bed with Sakura, helping to lay Ino into a comfortable position, before handing the sleeping girl the small fox doll once more. Hinata sat back up, she looked at Sakura in an odd way. "Isn't it true?"

"Ummm, what do you mean?" Sakura blushed, realizing the question was purposefully directed at her.

"Come now, of course you do, it's the reason you were hanging out with me, it's the reason we're talking about this now, it's the reason you're wearing diapers willingly again," Hinata pressed her hand against Sakura's abdomen. "You enjoy, don't you?" Hinata strained, almost unable to say the next words, but she finally managed them. "You enjoy it….like I do," Hinata was blushing.

"Err, ummm, I do like it Hinata. Ever since I started wetting the bed on and off when I was nine, I have had such an interesting attraction to them. But…why does it matter?"

"I think if we are going to fight together, we need to get to know each other better. We have a good amount of time before the enemy, even if they have phenomenal healing powers, can attack us again. Let's take that time, let's do it so that there's nothing this enemy can do to defeat us, together!" Hinata hugged Sakura lovingly.

"We can do this, if we learn about each other, we'll find the quickest path to defeating our enemy!" Sakura added to their embrace, she held on tightly.

**Chapter 7: We Can Do This!**

The first light of the quietest morning of Konoha was broken by Hinata's yawn. Sakura spied this from across the room, and grinned. They had taken turns staying up and keeping watch, if only for their safety.

Hinata rubbed her eyes softly and looked around. She was groggy, sleepy wetness clung to her eyes as she tried once again to rub it away.

"Should I make us some tea?" Hinata whispered softly, over the puerile snoring of the, most likely, still hypnotized Ino. Sakura's mind snapped back on as she heard it, and she shifted herself in Hinata's direction and nodded.

Hinata busied herself with the teapot and the hotplate in the small corner of her room as Sakura stood and sat upon Hinata's bed, giving in to exhaustion and falling upon the downy covers a moment later. Though not sleeping, her eyes opened, Sakura was much vacant. The smell of tea barely perked her senses, and only the sensation of Hinata sitting on the bed next to her was able to coerce her to sit up.

"Here, it's hot, so be careful," Hinata warned, placing a tray upon the bed and pushing a small cup towards Sakura.

"Thank you, this is just what I need to keep myself from being sleepy today," Sakura took her cup and sipped. It was heavenly, such a tea she had never tasted before, so mellow, and yet so defined, like a gentle wind, or a soft feather. Sakura mused to herself with each sip.

"Sakura, like we said last night, we must learn about each other, we have to become close, like teammates if we are to defeat this enemy," Hinata wasted no time coming into talk of work, Sakura yawned almost defiantly.

"Yes that's true, but where should we start? I mean, we have so much to cover, it might have been different, had we both been on the same team, or something like that, but it is just recently we have been spending time together. What should we start with? Among everything, what is so unique and important?" Sakura fretted a bit, rubbing her temples, and taking a long sip of her tea. She fidgeted nervously, her legs shifted, the soft crinkling was apparent; this caused both of them to giggle.

"Well, I guess we do have somewhere to start after all," Hinata poked the plush material between her own legs as she let go a held back titter. Sakura too let out another giggle as the two settled down, afraid to wake Ino, whom, if a baby in mind was she still, would throw a tantrum if disturbed.

"Hinata, since I told you last night, I guess you should explain why you enjoy wearing diapers, other than the fact you've still yet to regain your continence back in its entirety," Sakura's stare on Hinata was intent, inside just the idea of openly talking about diapers was beginning to cause her heart to race blissfully.

"Ummm….hmmm," Hinata thought about this for a moment, it was definitely a good question, one Hinata had not well decided on herself. "I guess it's because…I just feel so….so….innocent and carefree, wrapped in a cloud, hugging me whenever, like a dear friend," Hinata's voice broke for a moment as she pondered whether to say the next thing, she pushed it out of herself with some reluctance. "…and sadly….I was forced….to grow up very quickly….as….a Hyuuga child, not to mention an heiress. Potty training was really early,"

"How early, Hinata?" Sakura asked, trying to calm the nearly shivering Hinata, and stave off her own gnawing naughtiness.

"I was just about one; I think my mom said,"

"ONE?!" Sakura's amazement was glaringly obvious. "I wasn't potty trained till I was 3," Reaching over Sakura gave Hinata a big hug. "That must have been traumatizing for you, so young, and forced to become an adult so quickly,"

"I don't….I mean I don't think it was too bad. However….for what its worth, when I'm diapered….which has been almost constantly….recently at least, I just find everything so wonderful, the clouds are whiter, the sky is bluer and the tea is so much tastier," Hinata took a sip of tea at that moment, refreshingly exhaling as she swallowed. "Sometimes….if it's late…and mommy and daddy are asleep, I wear just…..a diaper and a t-shirt….and I play… with my stuffed animals, it must sound pitiful," Hinata frowned just ever so slightly before she was engulfed in another of Sakura's hugs.

"That is sooooooooooooooooo cute!" Sakura whispered, afraid letting her heart have any more lease would cause its tremendous pounding be heard from her open mouth. Still Sakura was breathing heavily, just about amorously onto the back of Hinata's neck.

Hinata was still quite fazed from the surprise tackling-hug, and as she regained her composure, could feel the warm, moist breathing of Sakura's quivering body. "Umm….Sakura….are you alright? Is it really that cute?"

"Its adorable," Sakura simply replied, stroking Hinata's hair, to which Hinata became slightly confused.

"Sakura? Sakura, is there…..a reason…..that I'm…..your dolly at the moment?" Hinata asked, forcing some wit to make the comment less abrasive on someone who was obviously warming up to her quite nicely.

Almost having to consciously bring herself to, Sakura released Hinata from her vice grip and smiled as warmly as she could. Both her cheeks were burnt the color of rubies, she was unable to stop herself from breaking into short bits of abrupt giggles. Sakura looked over to Hinata once again, she imagined a diaper clad girl crawling up to the massive pile of stuffed animals and lying against them, taking some up in her hands, and having them play about.

"Would you do that for me now?" Sakura asked against her own volition. Having done this in spite of herself Sakura quickly made to amend her request. "Only if you'd want to that is," Hinata looked over to the pile of toys; she examined them before examining Sakura in the same way.

"I don't know why its so cute, but if you'd like me to…of course….of course I would do it," Hinata nodded, closing her eyes and smiling sincerely, her own cheeks stained the same red as Sakura's. Hinata's hands shakily moved to the waistline of her pajama pants. Sakura seemed to have her eyes glued upon Hinata's hands, begging them to continue. Hinata complied to that glare, pulling her pajamas down to her knees, then softly slipping them off from under her. In just her mesh under shirt, and the clashing, pure white diaper, Hinata was knelt on her floor, feeling both comforted and odd at the same time.

Sakura nearly squealed with great joy. It had really only been her third time getting a close look at Hinata in diapers, she was making sure to notice everything about Hinata that might have changed. In return, Hinata kept up her blush as she put her hands upon the ground tentatively as if checking the floor's sturdiness. With hesitation brought on by the thought of how she must look, Hinata began a slow, stunted crawl towards the pile of toys in the corner of the room.

Incapable of taking her eyes off Hinata, Sakura observed everything, with each soft movement, and each stretch of her body, something about Hinata was so incredibly adorable. Sakura kept her eye closely upon her. Hinata finally reached he doll pile; she looked physically exhausted, if not from the sheer weight of feeling stupid doing her babyish routine for watching eyes, then from the lack of sleep she had gotten the night before. However, she felt though, Sakura felt the exact opposite about it.

Hinata took up a small panda doll in her hands, along side it she held a kitty. She squeezed them playfully, swaying back and forth, as she did so in an overtly loving manner. When she finally got the courage to open her eyes and look at her spectator she was amazed to see the amorous and quite pleased blush across Sakura's visage. Sakura sat upon the floor just a small crawl from he pile her eyes half closed, looking upon Hinata whilst in some paroxysmal dream.

Sakura's throat felt dry, she continued gazing upon Hinata as the Hyuuga decided to let her inhibitions go and really enjoy playing in her dolls. Hinata made quiet baby sounds every so often, as she fussed with the dolls. Sakura's sandpaper vocal cords finally found some lubricant and she was able to speak.

"Can….I join you?" Sakura inquired with a most sheepish hush in her voice. Hinata, a bit befuddled at the idea of actually wanting to be joined in her immature romp could only nod happily before continuing.

Sakura fumbled with her pants and skirt, she pulled at them, fighting with the fabric for freedom. Finally, Sakura's outer layers were stripped and only her diaper and shirt remained guarding her bare flesh. Sakura felt silly as she placed her hands upon the ground, similarly testing it as Hinata had done.

With equal hesitation, Sakura finally swaddled her way towards the pile of toys. She flopped into them beside Hinata and hugged her tightly, as children often do to each other. Hinata did not react in her usual shy demeanor; rather she embraced Sakura back, stuffed toys still in hand.

Sakura eventually took up a stuffed puppy and the two of them played in an infantile way for the better part of an hour. Hinata eventually nuzzled into her bed of toys from pure relief and exhaustion, following suit Sakura's grip on her toy loosened. She toddled a bit closer to Hinata and fell next to her. In a hush, lisp Hinata broke the silence of their playtime.

"I think…we fownd owr common identity. Somewhere we weally awe teammates," Sakura could not help but smile, hearing that sweet reassuring baby voice. Rolling to her side and looking at Hinata, Sakura nodded.

"It might be an odd bond, but even babies have friends," Sakura sighed hugging Hinata again as fatigue really bit into her. She craned her neck up to look at Hinata one last time before she would undoubtedly be unable to fight sleep a moment longer. Sakura put her moist cool lips upon Hinata's cheek and kissed her delicately. "Nighty, night, Hinata-chan,"

Hinata would have lit on fire any other time, but just then, in that half-asleep regressed world, Sakura's childish kiss was exactly in place. Hinata held onto Sakura as if she was one of the dolls surrounding them, and she too troubled the one next to her with a kiss. As Hinata's eyes closed in earnest, she could only think one thing: "We can do this, we really can,"

**Chapter 8: Back into the Darkness**

Whimpering came clearly through Sakura's mind. She knew not how long she had been asleep, or how long the sobbing had come to her, but as he eyes cracked, open and she looked around the sun-filled room her ears once more picked up the mournful crying.

Making to her knees and lifting herself upon them, Sakura looked about the room finally fixating on the source of the feverish fawning. Ino sat in the bed, her hands pressed to her eyes. Droplets of honest tears stained the velour covers in her lap. Shifting her weight, Sakura stood to her feet, with a wobbly post-nap walk she came to the bed, to the aide of the obvious upset Ino.

"Whats wrong, little Ino?" Sakura soothed, her hands worked through the golden locks, which shrouded her impaired friend's face. Merely the sound of that voice silenced Ino's bawling. Adorable, innocent aqua eyes formed joyful drops as, Ino's newly acquired, "happy squeal" rang throughout the room, stirring Hinata in its wake.

Ino resumed her usual placidity as Sakura threw back the covers of the bed and ticked Ino's tummy, exposed by her riding up shirt. "Why were you crying, silly?" Sakura questioned, poking Ino's nose as she did. Ino did her best to articulate some sort of response, seemingly understanding the question.

"Kyaada," Ino indicated, whatever that meant, as she poked a fluffy area of plastic around Sakura's body, and then pointed to a corresponding area on her own person. Sakura was not the least bit befuddled by such an action and made to collecting things to change Ino. As she planted her bottom back on the bed, a humid moistness met her own skin. She reached back down into the bag of diapers and collected another; someone else also required a change.

Sakura busied herself with tapes, powder, and wipes whilst Hinata sat up in her pile of toys and gave tremendous, refreshed yawn. Glancing over just for a moment to the changing her progress, Hinata inspected herself, and finding herself quite dry, she made to getting dressed, post-haste.

All preparations completed, Sakura and Ino stood dressed once more, Ino fumbled dumbly with her own shirt, having forcefully pulled away from Sakura as she had tried to help. At long last, even Ino was dressed, although wrinkled and with the obvious bulge underneath.

"There's no use hiding it now….let's pack a diaper bag, just in case," Sakura instructed, her body wheeled about and she worked on selecting the essential materials for another day of pursuit.

Hinata decided to leave the gathering to Sakura, in the mean she anxiously glanced to her clock radio, 11:32 it read. Even with their nap, they had not lost much time, as long as they really could work together, tracking, finding, and engaging their enemy would be an effortless venture to undertake before the sun fell.

The scraping of a door echoed abound the entirety of Hyuuga manor. Sakura led Ino by the hand out of the room, Hinata followed, replacing the door as she crossed the threshold. Steps cascaded throughout the hall and into the sunlit streets of the still and unnaturally quiet village.

Some otherworldly feeling had taken hold in Konoha. Every step they made was lonely, even though everyone in Konoha was still there, it felt like a ghost village, wind make whistles and howls through barren alleys, leaves swept the roads, throwing askew hung laundry, and knocking over outdoor signs.

"It's too quiet," shivering with that peculiar feeling Sakura broke the silence that had veiled all in deathly tranquility. Ino's whimpering agreed with Sakura.

"Where are we even going?" Hinata asked, staring about, but not finding this or that of anything useful.

"Well, I suppose with only two battle competent members, the enemy would not be so sneaky as to wait for nightfall to approach us. With their jutsu no doubt still in effect and completed they need not fear interference from any third party," Sakura's conjecture mostly served to preserve her own belief, Hinata had not needed an answer to her question, she knew there was nothing they could do but wait.

Ino searched idly in a playground sandbox as Hinata and Sakura, like attentive mothers, sat on a park bench and watched. Neither of them spoke, it did no better than the silence, but at least with the silence the approach of an enemy would be profoundly more noticeable.

Kneeling amongst a small city of sand mounds, giggling, and cavorting, Ino made the most of a grown body, and infantile mind. However, it was comical to see her get stuck going down the slide, or falling off the springy horse and nearly hilarious when she spun herself too hard on the merry-go-round.

The noon sun had slipped down further when Sakura and Hinata collected the sluggish and tired Ino, bringing her back to the park bench. Standing above her, the two mother figures watched their little angel slip off into dreams.

"How long should we let her sleep here in the park, out in the open?" Hinata asked, tentatively glancing around, making sure it really was wise to let her doze in this considerable vulnerable area.

"I don't see why not, seems perfectly safe to me, she was playing pretty nicely for at least two hours," Sakura reassured Hinata and herself, however the feeling was not to last. At the very last syllable, a witty retort followed.

"Yes, but playtime is quite over now, hahaha!" Shadows streaked the once dazzlingly blue sky, clouds the color of night shrouded Konoha. From that same pillar of smoke as before the enemy showed herself. In all her grandeur, standing tall, seemingly unfazed by the injury incurred the night before, the woman leered with horrible intent at her prey. "And this time, you can bet I'm ready for your little juuken style,"

"You better get ready!" Hinata shouted angrily, feeling slighted by that direct comment. Sakura set herself up; pulling at her gloves as they tensely had their stand off. The sky reverberated with lightening at the very climax of the tension. Hinata had begun to move, feet clashed against the earth, the ground underfoot literally smashed with the force.

Sakura in the rear followed as Hinata slid forwards and shot out her glowing hands. Each movement easily stepped aside, or hit off course. The enemy was fiercer than ever, unlike last time there seemed to be no holes in her defense. Sakura too attacked. In the fray of arms and legs, the enemy was neither overwhelmed nor losing ground. Hinata was similarly unshaken and her attack continued, the potency increasing as each missed its mark.

"Little girls should learn their place," Their enemy muttered snobbishly. Her own hands shot out and met their mark in the center of both Hinata and Sakura's bosom. Like being hit by a raging locomotive the two were slammed backwards, Sakura collided with a swing set, Hinata tumbled backwards ultimately lying face down in the sandbox where Ino had been playing not even twenty minutes prior.

Pain encompassed Hinata as she convulsed in that pitiful state. Her body felt like it had, had its chakra cut off all at once. Her eyes shifted upwards, the enemy's hands had just stopped glowing, and somehow, she knew the juuken. Hinata tried to stand, pain coursed her a second time, apparently her opponent knew the juuken quite well. Laughing in a demeaning way, the enemy approached, she grabbed hold of Hinata's jacket and stood her on her feet.

"Look at the baby, can barely stand on her own…." The enemy slammed Hinata in the stomach, as the poor girl recoiled and doubled over; the enemy elbowed her to the ground by the back of the head. Cracking her knuckles the enemy retired from beating upon Hinata, she instead approached Sakura, who had somehow gotten to her feet.

Hinata had already begun to cry before her body had even hit the ground. She felt so weak, all over again her confidence crumbled. She lied there, blood filled her taste buds, and pitifully she tried to stand. "Naruto…Naruto…" She whimpered pathetically, realizing that her blond haired hero was not coming to rescue her this time. She was going to die, going to be killed, without much of a fight.

"Come get some, old woman" Sakura taunted, she held her stance, fists at the ready. Her foe trembled with snorting amusement.

"Get some? From you? I hardly doubt a baby who still wears diapers can best me," Sakura turned blood red, her face burnt so bright that her eyes most likely brought forth tears to cool it off. She was disarmed merely by words, for that one moment, before that brooding dark presence inside took over. "But come now, do show me what you can do little baby, maybe you and the other three little babies could at least try to muster some kind of front,"

That was the final straw, Sakura's body tightened, tensed, and tortured over those words. Both humiliated and enraged Sakura growled low in her throat. "You can make fun of me, fine, I deserve it, I'm not as strong as Sasuke, or as quick to learn as Naruto. However, when you insult my friends… you've done something I cannot forgive you for. We may not be the ultimate pinnacle of ninja, but we've all tried our hardest, me and Ino, and Hinata especially, to be the best!"

Sakura delayed no longer, she caused her body to shower forth upon the opponent. Fists ringed past with little more than hair's breadth between them and their target, now for the first time in this encounter, the enemy was overwhelmed, not from underestimating her foe, but from Sakura's sheer power and determination.

Hinata watched from afar, as the enemy stood incapable of attack. Still fighting to stand, Hinata crawled to the sandbox's edge. Finally, she found her volition to get on her feet. Disorientated still, Hinata observed five years of intense martial arts training in Sakura. She moved intently, ferociously, without hesitation, Hinata could feel her own confidence fostering once more, her tears drying. Sakura was putting her all into this battle. She would too. "Hold tight Sakura…" Hinata thought, "…just a few more seconds and I'll be there to give it my all, just like you,"

**Chapter 9: The Incredible Jutsu**

Sakura's fist connected at long last. She pummeled over and over into the gut of her enemy, forcing her back, back through a tree and into another with one last, heavy punch. A large triumphant grin spread Sakura's visage. She laughed hysterically, letting out all the crazed anger and frustration she had just been forced into.

The enemy was silent, she was doubled over a shattered tree limb, motionless, but obviously injured. Soft quivers ran her body as the enemy stared out through her face-concealing mask. Sakura was approaching intently. The enemy fumbled struggling to pull themselves from the mess of trees. Finally, they had done it, just as Sakura's foot smashed the area she had just been into pulp and dust.

"Maybe…" The enemy hacked violently, likely mixed with a bit of blood, "…maybe I did underestimate you," Standing fully the enemy stared at Sakura for a moment more before she pulled deep inside and was encased in a deep foggy purple chakra.

Sakura stood steady, saying nothing. Across from them, Hinata had gotten to her feet. She was bleeding from her forehead, her clothes were dusty and scratched, and her bottom wet from stress and exertion. Still she stood and shakily limped to Sakura's side.

"Don't overwork yourself, Hinata," Sakura whispered, watching the enemy.

"Don't worry about me, we're a team, and we're going to take this like a team," Hinata winked at Sakura and took her hand, squeezing vigorously. Sakura nodded in response and squeezed back, as both readied formation.

"Teamwork, how inspiring," The enemy rasped in a voice not their own. It was a possessed voice, something almost demonic. Seconds ticked by and suddenly, the enemy had disappeared.

"Get ready!" Sakura screamed. The enemy cascaded down from above, then to the side, so fast it was seemingly at once, she struck Sakura the first time, but the second was blocked by Hinata who warded the enemy off with a swift palm to the striking shin. Another flurry came from Hinata's back, she was slammed by a furious barrage of fists, but Sakura kicked hard into the back of the enemy, returning Hinata's punishment.

The enemy tumbled a bit, but flipped, cart wheeling back to her feet. Hinata and Sakura both knew that the enemy was growing careless, but even from the two attacks they had taken, one thing was clear: this enemy was stronger than Sakura, and faster than Hinata.

"What do you even want?" Hinata finally yelled, breaking the silence. The whole time they had been pursuing the enemy, and fighting the enemy, this question had pressed into her, the most pressing of all problems. Why? Why was the enemy doing this? What was their goal?

The enemy at first said nothing, their chakra compressed, boiling over once more before returning into the host. "I'm here….to take back the finest female specimens, for Lord Orochimaru. You should feel honored he even wants you…you Konoha scum!" The enemy, clearly jealous of her master's interest in these girls, flew forward and engaged them once more.

A kunai raised the nin slammed past Sakura, being just barely deflected by the plate on Sakura's glove, where it would have hit her dead center otherwise. The two girls jumped apart as the enemy made another pass.

Hinata dug into her pouch and pulled forth a trip cable. She swung the weighted end around as Sakura ran forward, a drawn kunai in hand, at the enemy. Kunai raised both women bound towards each other. At the last moment Hinata struck. She launched the cable, pulling the kunai from the enemy's arm.

Sakura grinned, driving her kunai down as the enemy thrashed to muster some kind of defense, and as she raised her hand to grab Sakura's arm, too late. Albeit a shallow wound, Sakura's knife plunged into the enemy's shoulder. The enemy backed off, ripping on Sakura's arm, tripping her forward as she did.

Torn off guard, Sakura scrambled to get back to her feet, the enemy took this opportunity to launch at Hinata, who was now embroiled once more with the enemy. Hinata had noticed it just as the enemy approached, she noticed the juuken style palm and readied her own.

Each move, each nearly symmetrical move, each painstaking move, drove more and more energy through each opponent. Hinata gasped for breath taking a hit to the chest, but spun the enemy with a shot to the shoulder.

Sakura watched this, she dared not interfere, to someone like her, without a byakugan, a poor dodged juuken could injure her severely, or even kill her. This was Hinata's part of their battle.

"Impressive, little girl, you're quite a proficient juuken user, I guess that's to be expected, of the Hyuuga clan heiress!" The enemy's words were stressed and violent in between their attacks. "Still, I doubt you can beat me…I've known this technique since before you were born!" The ninja hurled her hand forward, striking Hinata in the chest once again, she followed it up quick enough to keep it from being blocked, slamming Hinata in the gut.

Unlike last time, Hinata dropped to her feet and swiped at the enemy, taking them by surprise and toppling her. Hinata flipped backwards with the last bit of her momentum and took a moment to huff and puff. She was badly overexerted, at least a quarter of her tenketsu were closed, forcing chakra out of her left hand was almost impossible now. With only her right it would be quite difficult to use her signature juuken technique.

The enemy regained themselves quickly, though impeded by their own fatigue. She coughed anew in that terrible hacking tone. Obviously, Sakura's earlier barrage, her kunai wound, and the juuken were taking its toll on her. Hinata was wary not to take her at face value, even if she did seem wounded, it had not been too long before since a wave of chakra had virtually replenished her.

The enemy wasted no time fulfilling Hinata's expectation and flaring her chakra in a grand show, doubling, and then tripling its size. The portals that contained the enemy's eyes were glowing, bathing the mask, even from the inside, in a white light. "I'm not done…not yet…but you are going to pose the most problem to me now…my sweet little Hyuuga baby," The enemy had not lost her condescending, cruel tone or words. "I'd hoped not to use this…but…I doubt the normal version's potency would be enough to even incapacitate you."

"What are you going on about?!" Hinata gaped, fear running into her voice, the giant chakra pinning even the on looking Sakura to her spot. The enemy did not answer, all she did was take up her symbols and then stretch her hand forward.

"Hand of the Eight Divinations:…" This name sent dread striking through Hinata like electricity, this attack, was the same kind Neji was a master at using. "…Overload: Five Hundred and Twelve Palms," Hinata had never heard of this attack before, but from the name, it truly was an overload, enough force to knock any person out, maybe for good.

It was like tunnel vision, the enemy bared down on Hinata, she could not move, could not cry out, and could not even see as the purple chakra crashed around her. The enemy's first strike filled Hinata with excruciating pain. Each subsequent strike felt like cold fire enveloping Hinata's being. "Eight….sixteen…thirty-two…sixty four," there was a short pause, Hinata's body flailed in the air, "One hundred twenty-eight….two hundred fifty-six……………five hundred and twelve!"

Hinata could feel the world collapse around her, it was so cold, so, so cold. Hinata's tears could not even warm her face as she hit the floor blood gushing from her nose and lips. The byakugan had deactivated of its own accord, Hinata knew that meant she had no more chakra left. Her body felt fractured, destroyed, she could not even open her eyelids without pain. "Am…I….going….to….to…?" Hinata could not even finish, she had started to weep even more fiercely.

"Forgive me, fragile child…you left me no choice…" The enemy spoke with her first compassion, and even at that moment, it felt out of place. Hinata's weeping had subsided, only because she had stopped moving altogether. From Sakura's standpoint, it was hard to tell if she was still breathing.

Drained, limping, and haphazardly shaking, as small courses of purple electricity flashed along her striking arm, the enemy stood to face Sakura. "Heh hahaha…" She, through another fierce bit of coughing, was still able to laugh at the situation. Sakura did not respond in kind. Tears for her friend fell to the ground quietly, belying the incredible anger boiling within Sakura.

"I'm not holding back anymore!" Sakura screamed, pulling on her gloves. "I'm not going to forgive you…I'm not going to let Hinata's pain go wasted. I'm not just going to defeat you…I might even KILL YOU!" Sakura's tears had merged with her fury, a fierce opponent had been defeated, and another had stepped up.

**Chapter 10: Finale! As a Team We Stand!**

Sakura tightened her grip on the collar of the enemy as she gave her another spiraling fist to the stomach. Careening back and breaking another large tree, the enemy flailed, coughing audibly, blood seeping, dripping from the bottom of the mask. It had been an uphill battle just to stay away from Sakura long enough to prolong such encounters, on the part of the enemy.

"Beg….beg for your life!" Sakura shouted into the mess of trees, at the body of their once enemy.

"I will do no such thing…" The enemy muttered weakly, only so loud enough to be heard. There was a series of hacking coughs and sputters after this, more blood escaped the bottom of the face covering plate, it splattered to the ground.

Sakura's eyes widened with rage. Her legs moved before she intended them to and smashed the enemy again, pulling her apart with mighty swats and slams. The enemy could not move quickly, not that quickly. Even with substantial expenditure of energy, she was only keeping up with a third of the punches, the remainder battering the enemy.

Hinata, strewn on her belly, could see a white expanse in front of her closed eyes. She just saw that whiteness, and herself sitting in the middle of a large field of daisies. Hinata's body was small, toddler-esque, yet she was quite happy, amongst all of the flowers. "Am I dead?" She wondered wordlessly, in that void. In her vision appeared Sakura, she too small and stocky with baby fat, sitting beside Hinata, raising a daisy to her. Ino as well joined them, collapsing in the flowers at their knees and rolling giddily. "I'm not dead…" Hinata said at once and her eyes opened.

Sakura's body shook with fatigue, no matter how hard she beat, or pummeled. Her arms swung at her sides as she jumped back. Her gloves were torn, the knuckles bleeding, oozing in streaks up and back down her arms from the force of each punch.

The enemy, though weakened to a point near defeat, stood on their own accord ahead of Sakura, both in view of the on looking Hinata. Sakura wearily put her fists back up. "Why won't you die?" She demanded in a tone quite demeaning, as if to disregard the trouble she had given them earlier. Sakura stood fast, she was not about to resign herself just because an enemy would not fall.

"I'm not about to….give up….just yet," the brave ninja declared, swaying in pain as she stood more intently. Crackling around her body, sparking to life in as much as she could muster, came that same billowing chakra. Coughing was heard above even the roar of the energy as it wildly spun out of control. Sakura lunged forward, hoping to punch through the smoke and stop the rapid regeneration sure to be taking place. However, as her hand hit the wall of chakra it slammed as though the chakra was made of solid steel, stronger than any kunai or shuriken.

Sakura recoiled, retreating to a safe distance as the enemy's covering disperse. Their mask had slashed at the middle. Blood marks ran from each side of the ninja's lips, making her mouth look like one of a puppet. The section still covering her eyes shone brightly as if on fire. Spitting blood to the floor and wiping her lips, the ninja assumed a very mechanical and haphazard stance. The ability she was using was not as any Sakura had encountered before. She was not healing herself at all; she was using chakra to control her wounded body parts.

"You can beat on me all you like….as long as I draw breath, I can fight…" The ninja stated in a holier-than-thou tone that was drenched in the condescending attitude she had displayed this entire time of fighting them.

Sakura gritted her teeth and took back her position, only to jump from it a moment later. It was then that Hinata called out as loud as she could.

"SAKURA NO!" It came too late, the enemy's body jerked forward, passing the entirety of their excess chakra through Sakura's fist, cutting, and scarring it all the way to the shoulder, throwing Sakura like a rag doll through the air before dropping her flat.

Hinata's eyes were shocked, as fright ran through her like rushing defeat through the channels of her being. She could barely get to her knees, but she made the few feet over to Sakura.

Her arm looked horrible, cuts ran its length and its position indicated a definite fracture. Sakura's eyes were filled with tears, and she bore them right through Hinata, seeing nothing, just weeping to herself. Hinata's eyes too began to water, totally ignorant of their enemy.

"Sakura, please be okay…" Hinata pleaded, reaching an aching hand out to Sakura's uninjured arm. Green energy escaped from Sakura's hand as it took Hinata's, a spasm causing her to accidentally release her healing chakra. It ran up Hinata's hand, and she could feel her tenketsu open as it did. Hinata grinned, knowing something Sakura did not. "Get up Sakura…" Hinata urged, and with a wobbly stagger, she made it to her own feet.

"What can we do?" Sakura said wispily, devastated by her own defeat. "We're just babies….standing here in diapers, soaked, and dirtied and…...weak," Hinata took a look of indignation and pity. She raised her hand and swung, connecting with Sakura's bottom in the way an angry mother reproaches her child. Sakura yelped gently and blinked. In the background their enemy has barely moved, most likely conserving what was left of their flaring and raging energy that seemingly had no control.

"We'll deal with your attitude later," Hinata scolded, her tone, a rose, sweet and comforting, but edged with thorns. "But now…we need to defeat this enemy, and I know how,"

"No planning!" the enemy shouted, charging forth in an open and reckless manner, not noticing Hinata's healed hand slash the air above her, crippling the threads of chakra controlling the enemy's injured legs, tumbling them into the sandbox nearby.

"Quick, Sakura! You are going to heal my arm, as much as you can, then we'll hit her at the same time!" Sakura nodded and began to work on Hinata's tenketsu.

"We might only have one chance at this, if we both don't strike at the same time there won't be enough force to knock her out and sever all the chakra threads," Sakura warned, the last bruise on Hinata's arm fading, chakra spilling out as the passages were opening. Hinata nodded in reply and they turned just as their enemy's slashed chakra threads reattached.

"Alright Sakura!" Hinata shouted, moving forward unexpectedly, arm to arm with Sakura, both of their chakra's alight and blazing with everything they had left. The enemy came at them too, with similar power bursting from her raging torrent of power. The two warpaths crossed in an explosion of light, the enemy tumbling to her side.

"Did we do it?!" Sakura exclaimed, turning and seeing the enemy flail for a moment, their chakra cables still visible. This sent a tremor of doubt through her and she frowned. "Dammit….we missed. My arms…I couldn't sustain that much energy again…"

Hinata breathed deeply, forcing her body to produce chakra. Her being concentrated hotly, warmth pouring out of her, filling the already sodden diaper, leaking in twin lines down her legs. She cared not, her hand flared once again. "We have one….last….try…" Hinata grimaced, in serious pain, nearly depleted of chakra.

"Okay…let's do it" Sakura said hesitantly, putting her uninjured arm in position against Hinata's

Their enemy wasted no time flopping back up as the chakra threads snapped back together. Without haste, and in a magnificent flash, the enemy blasted out the entirety of their chakra, creating a shield around her front of transparent, weak mist shielding. This paling looking not nearly strong enough to afford her a direct attack, but in this event, staving off even half of the force would leave Hinata and Sakura depleted.

"Don't try it!" The enemy bellowed furiously, seeing the two regain their posture.

"Like hell we won't!" Hinata yelled as Sakura would have in her place and the two of them charged on the back of the wind. The shield drew closer, closer, soon in a flash of glorious brightness the hands struck it, and remarkably, the paling stood firm.

Wind rushed the area, cradling the three as they forced against their matched powers in vain. Behind the shield of life force the enemy's body was still, most of the chakra threads had disappeared to further strengthen the shield.

"It's no good!" Sakura yelled disdainfully. Her hand strained, weakening, and being shredded like her other hand. She closed her fist tightly. "I can't do this much longer!"

"We can't break it!" Hinata shouted over the din, as the dirt from the playground field kicked up a dust storm, blinding everything. Hinata's eyes blurred, she was not crying, it was only the wind, she was not crying again, when they had come so far. Hinata's hand flashed, her energy giving out.

When all seemed lost, the enemy's shield faltered, the dust began to drop as a shadow behind the paling fought with walk looked like another body upon its back. Hinata and Sakura's hands pierced half of the shield and the wind dropped totally. Through the purple fade was Ino, a huge smile across her face, upon the back of the enemy.

"Pway! Kyaahehe!" Ino shouted with glee as the enemy's deadened body could do nothing to stop her. She let down the shield in a vain attempt to reattach her threads and remove Ino. As she did so, the shield smashed to pieces and the eyes in the mask went dim as a bone-crunching, chakra-sapping combo drilled into the ninja's chest, causing havoc and devastation in its wake.

Ino's hands let go immediately as the ninja dropped to her knees, falling headfirst into the dirt. Ino's eyes were soulless, empty for a moment. They returned to their usual lucidity just as Ino fainted.

"We did it," breathed both Hinata and Sakura, wheezing, sputtering, and falling to their own knees in tremendous stress and pain. Hinata giggled as Sakura could not hold in a titter.

Sakura's hand ran against Hinata's accidentally moistened thigh. "Someone…needs a diaper change…" She said in a tired tone, as though she had just had a rough day of caring for her wee ones.

Hinata got on her knees. "I need to know…" She said with new seriousness, pulling the fallen body of their enemy to them. Sakura sat up beside Hinata, a look of wary caution on her face, ready for any shock. "I need to know who this person is…to know all of my clan's moves…" Hinata had the head of the one whom so persecuted them in her lap. Hands moved over the mask, hesitant to remove it. "Should I?" She asked.

"We must…anyone who is this strong need to be interrogated…" Sakura said, knowing central procedure quite well. She eased Hinata's hand onto the mask and let her remove it. The two of them were froze; the visage of their enemy almost too shocking to comprehend.

**Chapter 11: All is Revealed**

Hinata choked, she fell back onto her bottom and began to cry, she hiccupped once or twice. Sakura's face was still screwed up into something similar to intestinal blockage. They both continued to look upon their enemy.

Hyuuga Inase's face was bore upon the enemy. The blood running down her lips seemed all the more fresh. "M-m-mommy?!" Hinata shrieked shrilly. Hinata closed her eyes tightly, opening them again to see if the horror at her knees was really, as she was seeing it. Even Sakura seemed ultimately stunned, as if there had been an arrow fired through her heart.

"Why would your mother…." Sakura began.

"She wouldn't! She would never!" Hinata cried angrily, not believing this one bit. It was only then that a voice from behind turned them around with the same shock as they had witnessed at the unmasking.

"I didn't think you'd wait that long to unmask me…" Inase said from behind the both of them. She sighed deeply, smacking her forehead with her palm in an impatient manner.

"But mommy…why?!" Hinata shouted, turning around and backing up against the now quite wooden replacement puppet. Inase showed signs of wear and tear; it was obvious that all the way up until reanimating her "broken" body with the threads, that she had been truthfully fighting them.

"How could you work for Orochimaru?!" Sakura accused, looking both tired, weak, and defeated all at once.

"Its simple, silly-heads….I don't," She said, making a matter-of-factly stance and smiling deeply. "But now is not the time for explaining that. The town will be waking up soon; we need to get you to the Hokage before anyone sees you like this!"

It was then it dawned on Sakura and she looked incredibly tired. In moments, Sakura had gone to sleep. Hinata looked up at her mother with apprehension. "What was all this?" She asked, feeling exposed and betrayed.

"Tsunade will explain," Her mother reassured, pulling Hinata up into her arms, and then Sakura, and finally Ino, darting off for the central offices as the body double exploded in a blast of smoke.

Hinata was standing before a smug looking Tsunade a moment later. Sakura and Ino were propped up on a sofa in the corner of the office; they were both sleeping soundly. Hinata felt exposed and vulnerable. She knew the wetness running down her legs was obvious, and even she could perceive the pungent scent of urine. She constantly whimpered, even as Tsunade smiled congenially.

"Shizune, please wake up Ino and Sakura…" Tsunade order to her ward, who hurried over to the two of them, making small hand signs and pressing her index and middle fingers against the foreheads of her patients.

Sakura stirred first, her eyes popping open as fast as they had closed before. She sat up in a state of shock, wheeling her head around the room at its occupants. "W-what? What's going on?!" Sakura demanded, her voice fragile, if only for the fact that Tsunade was sitting right there. Sakura was always humbled in her presence. It mattered not that it was obvious that she was even wearing a diaper, Tsunade' smile made one feel so small and protected. Just seeing Tsunade awake made her feel a lot safer.

Ino woke a bit after Sakura, she still seemed a little fazed by her encounter, and the genjutsu placed upon her. She whimpered a little before becoming a little more aware. "Where….where am I? What….is going on?" Ino groggily asked, looking from Sakura, to Hinata, to Shizune, to Tsunade, and then her eyes opened wide, she looked at Inase and began to shudder. "You?! What did you do to me before?!" She demanded overly angrily. "Why did I feel like I was a baby, why did you attack us…." Ino finally noticed something odd about the way her usually soft and thin silk panties felt. She lifted the waistband of her pants and turned scarlet "….and why the hell am I wearing a diaper?!"

All of them besides Ino laughed, even quiet Shizune seemed to break a small giggle. Inase stepped in front of the three girls and bowed gently. Tsunade spoke in Inase's place.

"I know you all must be wondering, if of all things "why," and you three do deserve an appropriate response," Tsunade paused, pulling up a folder. "Hyuuga Hinata, ten A-Rank missions, failed eight. Haruno Sakura, thirteen A-Rank Missions, failed nine. Finally, Yamanaka Ino, seven A-Rank missions, failed six. Do you see a problem here?" She asked after this little review. Hinata meekly raised her hand. "Yes, Hinata?"

"We have the lowest success rates of any Chuunin in the village…" She said quietly, ashamed.

"Don't sound so down, you have the lowest rates of any females in the village. Naruto and Shikamaru have almost double the number of missions, and almost fewer succeeded to specification," Tsunade said gently, trying to cheer Hinata up. Hinata tried to force a smile.

"So why did you deceive us?" Sakura asked, again in that tone the size of an infant's.

Tsunade took a breath, getting ready for a well-deserved explanation. "We needed to make sure you three are actually able to handle yourselves in extreme situations. Many ninja fail missions out of pure circumstance, but that cannot always be deduced by a mission report. Therefore, we needed to put you in a real situation, a mission more dangerous than even S-Rank. A mission where everything depended on success and failure would mean not just a bad trip home, but your inevitable demise or capture. So we had to set up a situation…" Tsunade began.

"You sent Naruto, and all the other male Jounin and Chuunin out on missions, to make sure they would not interfere in our "exam," Hinata analyzed, looking up, feeling as if a bit of burden had already been lifted.

"Precisely, we sent them all away and kept only one ninja behind, your mother, Hinata. We asked others, Kakashi said he would not fight women, especially not a former pupil, and Kurenai said her illusions would give her away to Hinata much too easily," Tsunade narrowed her eyes. "We needed someone determined to better you three, and not afraid to do it, we needed a motherly touch, and Inase was ready to oblige, promising not to go easy on any of you, regardless of familial relation," Hinata blushed at this, and Tsunade looked over to Shizune. "You three passed, if barely, the requirements for the test…" Shizune smiled and approached the three of them giving them each a small envelope with a modest amount in it.

Inase stood up, smiling; she ruffled Sakura's hair gently, and then walked over to Ino. "What was my illusion like?" She asked Ino. "I had never used it before…"

"You what?!" Ino screamed violently, shrinking back up the couch as if Inase harbored some terrible illness. "You used an untested jutsu on me?!"

"Come now…was it that horrible?" Inase asked, scratching her head curiously before returning her hands to their usual position at her sides.

"From how Ino was playing at the play ground…" Sakura began.

"And how she played at my house with my dollies, I would say she was having, fun, if anything," Hinata added, blushing but with a grin. Ino gritted her teeth, and clenched her fists. She loosened them finally and sighed.

"I had fun…." She caved, looking down at her middle and remembering the illusion. "It was like the world was so bright and fun, nothing was scary, nothing was wrong or bad….for an enemy attack, it was pacifying…" Ino grimaced, feeling the sensation of the diaper once more. "But whether or not….I'd like to get this thing off of me…I feel dumb," Ino whined, looking to Sakura and Hinata and actually blushing shamefully. "No offense, you two," she added.

"I think all of you could use a freshening up," Tsunade suggested, setting down her folders. "I'm not done with you three yet, so please return promptly…" Tsunade said with lingering intent.

Ino left first, Sakura and Hinata stood there for a moment. "Umm….Tsunade-sama?" Sakura started.

"Yes?" she asked, noting they were not leaving.

"Does your medical staff here at headquarters have any….ya know…" Sakura motioned at her middle, blushing deeply. Tsunade laughed amusedly. Inase put down a small bag in front of Sakura.

"Here, your stuff is still inside…" Inase said in a friendly tone.

With their stuff ready, Sakura and Hinata turned to leave. Tsunade spoke, halting them. "You two are very brave, learning to work as a team, fight as one, and become fast friends," She turned her seat around. "I'm glad you stayed, since I had a little more to tell you two," She sighed and stood up, looking at Sakura, then Hinata. "You two worked very well, but more than once you let Ino out of your sight and put her in danger, I thought originally that it might be grounds for failing you, but decided against it, in lieu of that however…I think I might have a more fitting punishment,"

Hinata swallowed hard, she could see the light in her mother's eyes that devilish look that always meant ill. "What….did you have in mind?" She ventured, quivering slightly. Tsunade only laughed.

"You can take a seat on the sofa, Hinata, Inase," She motioned to them. "Sakura, please come over here…" Sakura took her bag in hand and hurried over to her sensei. Setting down the diaper bag, she whimpered, still unsure of her teacher's intentions.

Hinata sat upon sofa, her mother sitting beside her, and Hinata gently lowered her pants, revealing the soaked diaper underneath. She already knew what she had to do and gently pulled on the tapes of her diaper.

Sakura blushed deeply as Tsunade unbuckled her skirt and shifted Sakura's pants down her legs. "Not quite was wet as Hinata," Tsunade joked happily, not at all disgusted or unhappy about Sakura's state, knowing it took a bigger person to wear diapers than to wet themselves and complain about it.

"W-what a-are you doing, Tsunade-sama?" Sakura whimpered confusedly as slight pulls untapped the tabs on the diaper.

"Just something a little more appropriate as punishment," She answered, lifting Sakura up as if she were just the baby she felt like, and placing her over her lap. Hinata was already in a similar position. Shizune had found reason to leave the room, smiling to herself with a giggle, knowing this was more light-hearted than serious.

"You're going to spank us…." Sakura gasped frightened, looking over at Hinata who did not look as scared as she did. Tsunade sighed, rubbing Sakura's bottom.

"Better than getting sent back to the academy, isn't it?" She asked, patting gently, even though to Sakura it felt like she had already begun.

"I also think its quite fitting, like two naughty little girls get punished by their mommies," Inase added, Hinata blushing on her lap, enjoying the whole ordeal more than one should.

"Sakura….afterwards we can go play at my house…" Hinata offered.

Sakura smiled, just as Tsunade's hand caught her bottom. With a yelp Sakura wiggled forward, Hinata too flinched under her mother's hand. It took about ten minutes but the two of them were standing up once more, pulling up pants over sore bottoms.

"You two behave, get changed in the bathroom, and tell Ino we're done if you see her." Tsunade said flexing her arm, having had quite a bit of fun just now. Sakura was such an obedient girl, and the same could be said of Hinata. The moment they were out of the hall, both pairs of ladies, Sakura and Hinata, and Tsunade and Inase gave the other a generous smile.

"After we get changed…we can go to my house and have cookies, and milk, and…." Hinata stopped; she was blushing. She smiled weakly, "…and we can play with my dollies…if you like," Sakura stopped too; she did not turn red like Hinata, but hugged her in response.

"Of course….sounds like lots of fun….and after all of this fighting and stuff…maybe a good cookie, a warm glass of milk…..and a fresh diaper…would be really enjoyable," Sakura was blushing now, having come out with it genuinely that she had enjoyed her time with Hinata.

Sakura and Hinata broke into giggles as they left headquarters, heading off into the busying streets of awakened Konoha, off towards adventure, excitement, and cookies.


End file.
